GGCC Award Ceremony – 2018
In my humble opinion…….2018 has been the best yet.
We are now 7 and a bit years old and from that first club ride in 2011 with 8 random looking cyclists we have grown into one of the most respected clubs in Scotland.
We still attract upwards of 50 out on a Sunday ride and still have our standard format that just works and the feedback from new members is always superbly positive and they all say that you lot make them very welcome!
Our ‘little social club’ that we still sometimes get referred to from ‘other clubs’ represents across every discipline I know and we have everything from social plodders to cat 2 racers, national champions to coaches and everything in between and we also represent on the forum groups with Scottish Cycling and have members sit on the Regional Development Group!
As far as cycling in Scotland goes……..we are now part of the furniture and long may it continue.
With regards to our core activity, club rides, I need to call out 2 people. I just haven’t been around as much as I would like ......and last year I mentioned that we would have 2 road captains………………………
We have always had group leaders and a massive thanks goes out to each and every one of them but I think you will agree Robert Hamilton and Mark Gallagher have really stepped up this year and they have really been a huge help to me and probably stopped my wee head exploding again when it comes to the everyday club ‘stuff’. A heartfelt thanks from me.
GGCC Awards for 2018
Group Leader Award - John Haughey
Group Leader Award - Michael McPartlin
Group Leader - Ian Linden
The Biggest Contribution - Robert Hamilton
Most Improved Male Racer - Alan Clark
Most Improved Female Racer - Zosia Martin
Most Improved Male Club Rider - Steven Hutton
Most Improved Female Club Rider - Natalie Wheatley
Most Consistent Club Rider - Kenny Blair
Most Supportive Club Member - Andy Jack
GGCC Ambassador of the Year - Richard Hogg
Best Effort Award - David McGill
Best Event Support - 'The Broons’
Best Event Support - Mark Gallagher
The Member’s Member Award - Darren ‘Doog’ Carruthers
2 x Club Championship Awards
2018 Club Champions
Alexandra Michnowic & Michael John Ross
Our first ever GGCC Club Champions were Doog Carruthers and Zosia Martin and they were the first ever to receive these awards. They have embraced the Club Championship accolade and really stepped up in terms of contribution both in the club and in the wider cycling community. They are an integral part pf the cycling scene now, but now we award our new champions
But first, there is however a particular person I need to call out when it comes to this year’s championship and that’s Gavin Morton.
Without Gavin……. well there wouldn’t have been a championship. He has been a massive help behind the scenes. Gavin is the one who has validated the scoring and made sure that I haven’t made any mistakes and been a superb help for me this year.
This year we have had over 14 females scoring points and 79 males scoring points. A massive thanks has to go to all the helpers, marshals and members that give up their time to stand in the sometimes cold and rain to make these events possible, without these people, there wouldn’t have a club championship.
Structure of championship has really opened up the competition and allows seniors and race pacers compete fairly with steady pace veterans!
- OUR FEMALE CLUB CHAMPION OF 2018 IS -
- Alexandra Michnowic
- New member to GGCC in 2018
- Threw herself into both club rides and competition including club confined and open races
- Consistent competitor throughout the club confined season winning 4 of the events!
- Towards end of season she had an un-catchable lead
- Always smiling J
- Points - Susie 27 / Stephanie 28 / Chrissy 30 / Zosia 36 / Natalie 36 / Karly / 36 / Alex 49
Tommy Dorrian award
- This award should epitomise cycling and what two wheeled adventures stand for
- The award should also go to someone who stands for the simplicity of cycling and when its announced nobody should raise an eyebrow
- This person has taken on the mantle of arranging and driving the Tommy Tonnes
- Always puts the riding before anything else
- Key group leader in steady
- Out for the love of the bike, the social aspect, the fun, the banter and the riding
- He rides a bike nearly as old as Tommy!....and by Christ he loves a beer!
2018 Custodian of the Tommy Dorrian award
Chris Ditchfield
Additional Awards / mentions
- ALL group leaders who week in, week out step up and take on the responsibility of driving the rides.
- Robert and Mark who have stepped up as Road Captains and essentially running the club in my absence….and to be fair when I have been there too!
- Christine Catterson – completed Barcelona Ironman on Oct 7th 2018
- Swim 1:24:36 / Bike 6:46:06 / Run 4:33:54
- Also fitted me for the best trail shoes I’ve ever had! ;-)
- Paul Devlin / Virago – The Winter Splinter Master of ceremonies / keeping the Wednesday evening rides active……..and the fact he retired those white shorts!
- Gavin Morton – for his ongoing help with the GGCC Club Championship and also his blossoming videoing and photography contribution at our events
- Sandy Taylor – Most improved and consistent TT’er of 2018 / great Georgetown TT results and always mixing it up in the top 5 of club confined
- Brian Sutton – international Zwift relationships! Actively promoting GGCC as a club not only in our local cycling community but also across in America where we have folk already representing and wearing the GGCC kit
- Tour of the Highlands and South West 300 riders – a credit to the club, great camaraderie and a sight to behold.
- All of our GGCC racers……. the National Team TT’ers, The Track racers, the road racers, the CX’ers………. not bad for a wee pretend social club! ;-)
- Gavin Dempster – completing and finishing 5th overall! / 2250km up the west coast of Ireland self-supported. Also competed in London in the Zwift Crit series finals and then on the back of that performance was flown to Vancouver in Canada to compete in CVR World Cup. GGCC going international
and onto 2019 and the future……………..
- Club fees remain at £20
- Continue to mix in new routes with our tried and tested favourites
- The club confined championship will be back for its third year but I’m looking at some tweaks to make it even more competitive and relevant
- We will be hosting the following races –
- 25 mile TT under CTT – Scottish District Championships
- 50 mile TT under CTT
- Road Race under British Cycling
- 18th August
- Womens only race and Open road race
- Continue to provide a club that caters for social riders up to racers week in week out.
- Just be GGCC as its what we do……………………….